Merrick’s parents emigrated from Trinidad during the first significant Caribbean immigration wave to the US in the early 20c. Her father Walter attended Howard U. and eventually became a physician. Norma was born in 1925 in Harlem, NY, where Walter often served as a physician to African American celebrities such as Ethel Waters and Art Tatum. A talented musician and carpenter, he supported his daughter's love of art and math and encouraged her to pursue a career in architecture.

Around 1940, Norma was enrolled at the prestigious Hunter College High School for the intellectually gifted and "Ivy League-bound" young women. Excelling academically, Norma attended Barnard University, the prestigious women's college formerly administered by Columbia University. She attended Barnard initially in order to gain a year of a liberal arts education so that she could be accepted into the then-named Columbia University School of Architecture.

In 1947 she met and married Dumas Flagg Ransom, law student at nearby Wagner University. She subsequently gave birth to her first son, Gregory Merrick Ransom, shortly thereafter. She graduated from Columbia in 1950 with a Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) degree. She was one of only two women, and the only African American in her graduating class. —Norma Merrick Fairweather

Despite her Columbia University pedigree, her race and gender made it predictably difficult to obtain employment. Norma recalled in an oral history interview that she was turned down by 19 prospective employers. It was on the 20th interview, with the Department of Public Works (DPW), that she was hired as a junior draftsperson for New York City. She passed her architecture licensing examination in 1954, becoming the first Black woman believed to be licensed to practice architecture in New York.

In 1955 Norma started working at notable architectural firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) in New York City, where she was given larger-scale projects. At the same time, she taught architecture courses at New York City Community College (presently called the New York City College of Technology) located in Brooklyn, NY. She was the school's first woman faculty member.

It was also during her tenure at SOM that Norma joined AIA and became the organization's first African American woman member. She was a member of the Council for the Advancement of the Negro in Architecture, a New York-based group. During this groundbreaking work, Norma was a twice-divorced mother of two sons with the birth of her second son, David Merrick Fairweather. Norma depended on the assistance of her family in raising her sons while she worked and advanced her career.

To advance her career, Norma moved to Los Angeles, CA to work with architectural firm Gruen Associates in 1960. She soon became the first Black woman to be a licensed architect in CA. Gruen Associates, founded by visionary Austrian architect Victor Gruen, pioneered work with shopping malls and multi-use buildings. In 1965 she became director of architecture, responsible for hiring and overseeing multiple staff members and project managing several high-profile projects for the firm.

Norma's projects included the high-rise, multi-use building California Mart (1963), now known as California Market Center…

…the skyscraper Fox Plaza (1966) in San Francisco…

…and one of Norma's most notable works for Gruen, The Pacific Design Center (1975), a multi-use facility utilized by California's bustling apparel and fashion industry. Norma's contributary design is affectionately known by locals as the "Blue Whale." Norma worked on the latter project with Gruen's lead architect at the time, Cesar Pelli, known for some of the world's tallest buildings, most notably the World Finance Center (Brookfield Place) in New York City.

Pelli also shared his credit with Norma for her exemplary contribution to the renovation and redesign of the San Bernardino City Hall (1972) in California...

…as well as their work on the U.S. Embassy (1976) in Tokyo, Japan.

While at Gruen, Norma married Rolf Sklarek, a fellow architect at the firm. She also taught architecture courses at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Southern California (USC). At UCLA, she was the first African American member of the faculty.

In 1980 she was finally recognized for all of her trailblazing and innovative work, when she became the first African American woman elected to the AIA College of Fellows; the highest honor within the architecture profession. This prestigious award gave her assurance that she could take her career to another level.

Sklarek departed Gruen for Welton Becket & Associates, a prominent California firm renowned for iconic music and cultural centers, including the Capitol Records building in Los Angeles. Norma was appointed as the vice president of the firm and lead project manager on one of her most notable works, Terminal One at the Los Angeles International Airport. She was recognized for the timely completion of the project as preparation for the influx of travelers to Los Angeles for the 1984 Olympic Games.

It was her work from the Los Angeles Airport project that empowered Norma to break yet another barrier. 1985 proved to be a significant year as she became the first African American woman to found and co-own a woman-owned architectural firm. Norma collaborated with fellow veteran architects Margot Siegal and Katherine Diamond to create Siegel-Sklarek-Diamond.

Siegel-Sklarek-Diamond was one of the largest woman-owned architectural firms at the time. Their largest project was the Tarzana Promenade, a 90,000 sq. ft. medical and retail center and the remodel and renovation of the Lawndale Civic Center; both located in California. Norma also designed work for the proposed Marva Collins Preparatory School in Compton, CA. named after seminal educator Marva Collins who had revolutionized education for low-income students in a crime-ridden area in Chicago.

Being a new firm amidst the prevalence of racism and sexism within the profession left Siegel-Sklarek-Diamond at a disadvantage. Their projects were mainly residential and smaller commercial projects that didn't bring the income and accompanying challenges of larger-scale projects.

Sklarek left SSD in 1989 for Jerde Partnership, an established innovator in the design and construction of shopping malls around the world. Norma was hired as the principal on project management for the design and construction of the Mall of America. Located in Bloomington, MN, it is considered to be the largest shopping mall in the United States.

In 1992 Norma retired from the profession, but she didn’t stop working. She advocated broadening the profession to include more women and people of color. She served as faculty and lecturer at several universities including UCLA, USC, University of Iowa, Kansas State University, California Polytechnic as well as her alma mater, Columbia University. Norma regularly lectured at HBCUs including Howard University, Hampton University, Tuskegee University, and Southern University.

Sklarek was long hailed by the black press, appearing in Ebony magazine as early as 1958. In 2008 the AIA awarded her the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award, for working to address social issues by promoting racial and gender diversity in the field. She served on professional boards and committees, such as the California Architects Board, Professional Qualifications Committee, California State Board of Architectural Examiners, the AIA National Ethics Council, and many more.

On February 6, 2012, Norma Merrick Sklarek passed away in Pacific Palisades, CA at the age of 85. Through her social engagement, leadership and management skills, and design expertise, Sklarek's actions and example helped expand and inspire the field of architecture. To learn more about the African American experience in the US through the stories of the people who lived its history and shaped its future, visit the National Museum of African American history in-person and online.